Griezmann also sent Julien a text message.
There was gratitude in his tone: "I was there too. If you hadn't tipped me off, I might have ended up on that suspension list as well."
After the punishment was announced, Griezmann felt extremely relieved.
The suspensions were almost all a full year long!
Though it was only from the national team, for young players, the psychological blow would be devastating.
Julien replied. "Play well at Real Sociedad. Think about how to better integrate into the national team. Wanting to join the national team is just a goal—you need to break that goal down, see what your talent can bring to the team. I'll be waiting for you in the national team so we can play together."
In Norway, with an away match against Norway U21 scheduled for tomorrow afternoon, Griezmann felt his heart surge as he read Julien's message.
He seemed to have so much to say, but when it came to typing in the chat box, only one sentence remained: "Alright, thank you."
Julien put this matter behind him.
The afternoon they arrived in Madrid.
Both sides held pre-match press conferences.
Actually, before this match, Deschamps, having surprisingly lost to Japan, wasn't portrayed positively by the French domestic media.
The media described his matches as "boring," "overly dependent on the front line," and so on.
Having just celebrated his 44th birthday, Deschamps responded.
"I'm a pragmatist. I only care about match results. The French team needs to win, not show beautiful scenes."
A reporter asked him, "Are you thinking that you must defeat the Spanish team at the Calderón Stadium no matter what?"
Deschamps shook his head. "I haven't thought that way. But we absolutely won't surrender without a fight. We know what we must do and what we shouldn't do."
The reporter then asked about his possible tactics against Spain.
Deschamps answered: "I want to maintain our consistent style of play, but against Spain, you have to do your defensive work no matter what.
It's not a question of whether you park the bus—it's a question of Spain forcing you to park the bus. What we need to do is create threats when we control the ball.
Fortunately, we have excellent players like Franck, Julien, and others.
We won't fight for a draw; we want to win. Of course, a draw wouldn't be a bad result either.
This is a five-team group. The result between us and Spain will largely determine who advances from the group."
The reporter continued: "As captain of the 1998 World Cup-winning team, can you compare this Spanish team with that French team?"
Deschamps shook his head. "I refuse to compare. I don't like making comparisons either. Frankly, can you judge which was greater—the 1958 Brazilian team or the 1970 Brazilian team? Each team has its past, its own history, its glory."
The reporter asked what the secret to that French team's success was.
Deschamps said. "Defense, not offense. The second step is offense. All eleven players need defensive duties. If there's one exception, you'll struggle. If only eight people defend, then trouble comes."
The reporter followed up on Deschamps' words. "From the outside, it seems the French team's current slump isn't a defensive problem but a star problem. France no longer has Zidane, no longer has Djorkaeff, and no Deschamps, Lizarazu, or Thuram."
Deschamps smiled and wagged his finger at the reporter. "But we have Julien, Franck, and all our current players.
Some players in the squad do lack international reputation. France also lacks players who can make huge contributions in major tournaments.
Some of my players have fewer than 15 caps for the national team. Over the past four years, many players have been in and out of the national team.
They truly lack experience. Generally speaking, to accumulate experience, you need 40 to 50 international matches.
Furthermore, leadership is innate. It can be enhanced through training and learning, but it can't be created from nothing.
In team sports, surrounding players will naturally rely on someone and view them as a leader. You can't just wake up one morning and casually say, 'Okay, from tomorrow I'll be the captain.'"
A reporter suddenly interjected: "So will Julien become the national team captain? He's the youngest captain at Bastia."
Deschamps answered definitively: "Julien has all the qualities to be captain. Let's wait and see."
On the other side.
Spanish head coach Del Bosque was also being interviewed.
He said: "Since Deschamps took over, the French team has undergone major changes, especially in midfield. Their tactics have changed significantly.
We haven't changed much, but one thing is certain—after winning the European Championship, we're fighting for a brand-new championship, a brand-new era.
France's attacking core remains the wing attacks of De Rocca and Ribéry."
He also mentioned needing to be wary of Julien: "De Rocca is the greatest young winger in the world right now. His dribbling technique is magical. The ball at his feet is like it's glued there—no matter which direction it goes, it always returns to his feet. Defending him is extremely difficult. But I believe in Alba."
Finally came the usual question about the "false nine" formation.
Del Bosque waved his hand. "I know what I'm doing. Without a striker, we've still scored 9 goals, our attacking power isn't weak.
Back at home, we'll play more aggressively, but the opponent is France, so we must avoid dropping points at home.
In this group, the two-legged tie between Spain and France is like a two-legged final—very important. So, I need to reconsider whether the false nine tactic suits this match."
The false nine formation.
In Spain's 4-3-3 formation, there was originally only one central striker option.
But starting from the European Championship, Del Bosque gradually fell in love with the strange formation without a center forward.
Coincidentally, without a striker, Spain's goal-scoring efficiency suddenly doubled!
They ultimately used this tactic to cut through every team and successfully win the championship.
In the last group match in Minsk, Del Bosque fielded seven midfielders in the starting lineup, with Fàbregas playing as a false nine and Busquets filling in at center back.
They still demolished Belarus away.
Many teams were trying to study and learn Spain's tactics.
When Deschamps explained this tactic to the French players, he quoted Brazilian coach Menezes—
"You can't just wake up one day on a whim and say: 'I want to play like Spain.' You must make decisions based on actual circumstances, based on the players you actually have."
He knew clearly that Spain's use of the false nine was based on having too many talented genius midfielders.
Chelsea's midfield core Mata couldn't even make the 23-man squad, that was where Spain's true strength lay.
That evening.
Giroud and Julien shared a room. He said: "The media is quite interesting. They say Spain likes the false nine formation, but we French can only rely on two wingers."
Julien nodded. "Pretty much. Tomorrow we definitely won't have much possession, so think about how to counterattack."
When Deschamps explained tactics today, he also mentioned that tomorrow's first priority was defense, it was better not to score than to concede.
Other people's false nine formations were garbage.
But Spain's false nine formation stemmed from an almost pathological pursuit of midfield possession.
Spain's midfield generally featured Fàbregas, Xavi, Iniesta, Busquets, Xabi Alonso, and David Silva.
When these six players engaged in continuous short passing, opponents couldn't even touch the ball.
So, forget about attacking. Being able to defend would already be very good.
The only thing that relaxed Julien somewhat was knowing this was the twilight of Spain's red dynasty.
New kings must rise.
The next day.
Spanish and French media continuously hyped up that evening's Spain-France battle.
The two-legged group stage encounter was seen by outsiders as basically determining who would ultimately advance.
When the entire French team rode the bus to the Calderón Stadium.
The entire street was already completely raucous. Fans wearing Spanish jerseys were everywhere. Occasionally there were a few blue French team fans.
Through the bus window, Julien saw the Calderón Stadium in the distance.
This was Atlético Madrid's home ground.
He thought of Bastia's Europa League campaign.
In ten days, he'd be coming here again.
Calderón Stadium.
The players were still in the warm-up phase.
The song "I Am Spanish" echoed inside and outside the stadium—
"I am Spanish, Spanish!
Flags flying, passion burning!
Fighting with all our might for Spain,
Until victory comes again!"
The entire stadium was drowned in red, with only a corner of the away section showing French fans in blue jerseys.
They still waved their shirts vigorously, trying to make some sound of their own at the Calderón Stadium. But they all failed.
They were completely drowned out by the waves of Spanish fans.
The broadcast cameras swept across the stands.
Many heavyweight figures from the football world were watching tonight's match live.
The cameras first found Zidane.
As a French legend who happened to be working at Real Madrid on the other side of Madrid, it was convenient for him to come watch the match live.
Then, The cameras focused on the current Barcelona manager, Tito Vilanova.
This man, called the man behind Barcelona's Dream Three, took over Barcelona's coaching reins after Guardiola left in the summer.
He'd led the team with outstanding results.
Most of today's Spanish team were Barcelona players, so even though he was unwell, he still came to watch.
Wearing a scarf, his eyes were burning.
For this match, he was most concerned with whether Alba could withstand Julien's impact.
Alba was a player he personally signed from Valencia after taking office.
Tito valued Alba highly, believing he would be Barcelona's future guarantee on the wings.
There were also other Spanish legends in the stands.
Soon, the players finished warming up and returned to the locker room to prepare.
"I'll emphasize again—you must ensure defense, must be in your defensive positions."
Deschamps repeated this over and over. His expression looked fairly composed, but in fact, his heart was turbulent too.
This was his first tough battle coaching the French team!
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